Canton, Cherokee County GA. July 12, 2010 - Summer may be a time for vacations for some, but drug dealers don’t rest during the summer months. The Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad (CMANS) broke four separate drug rings operating in Cherokee County within the last month.

Joshua Lyons of Cartersville, and Marci Vaughn of Waleska were arrested for Sale of Methamphetamine. Vaughn was formerly employed by the Georgia Department of Corrections as a secretary at the Canton Probation Office. CMANS Agents and Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Agents participated in this investigation.

In another investigation, Luis Alberto Vega-Arzate of Atlanta, Cristina Pineda-Gutierrez of Atlanta, Samuel Santos-Palacios of Roswell, and Julber Antiago-Yanez of Alpharetta were arrested by CMANS and GBI Agents when they attempted to sell a pound of methamphetamine at a location in Woodstock. All of the suspects were charged with multiple counts of Trafficking Methamphetamine.

A separate investigation involved the sale of over four grams of methamphetamine by Wendy Amada Elias of Norcross, Marin Vezquez Penaloza of Norcross, and Jesus Penaloza of Woodstock. During the arrest Jesus Penaloza ran a short distance and jumped over a retaining wall. As a result, Penaloza sustained a fractured femur. CMANS Agents charged all the suspects with Trafficking Methamphetamine.

A fourth organization was broken with the arrests of Paul Mansueto of Holly Springs, Pedro Damian Camacho-Solorio of Roswell, Randall Hamby of Woodstock, and Stayci Xristine Parham of Acworth. All four suspects were charged with Trafficking Methamphetamine.

Every suspect in this press release, except Randall Hamby, remains in custody at the Cherokee Adult Detention without bond. Hamby was released July 3rd on a $50,000.00 bond.

The Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad is a joint task force working in Cherokee County to investigate drug related violations. Participating agencies include the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the Canton Police Department, the Woodstock Police Department, the Holly Springs Police Department, the Ball Ground Police Department, the District Attorney’s Office for the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia State Patrol. Citizens may call in tips anonymously to (770) 345- 7920, or may speak to an agent by calling (770) 704-2350.